Digital deal enables HDTV sets

Los Angeles Times

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, December 19, 2002

Cable operators and TV manufacturers have struck a long-awaited truce that could make it easier for consumers to get high-definition television from cable, set recording limits on digital programs and preserve the value of older HDTV sets.

The deal, expected to be announced today, would open the door for cable- ready digital TV sets that could deliver HDTV without a separate set-top box. This kind of plug-and-play simplicity is critical for digital TV, set manufacturers say, because two-thirds of U.S. homes rely on cable to deliver their TV signals.

The deal won't take effect, however, unless the Federal Communications Commission adopts a regulation applying its provisions to all cable and satellite operators. At least some of the provisions are likely to draw opposition from satellite companies, TV programmers and Hollywood studios, which were excluded from the private negotiations between cable operators and set-makers. Representatives of the manufacturers' and cable operators' trade associations declined to discuss the deal.

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